Lygia Pape

Lygia Pape was a Brazilian artist who was a key figure in the Concrete and Neo-Concrete Movements in Brazil during the 1950s and 1960s. She was born in Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, in 1927, and studied painting and engraving at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro. She joined the Grupo Frente in 1952, a collective of artists who experimented with geometric abstraction and rejected the figurative and nationalist tendencies of Brazilian art at the time. She also participated in the First National Exhibition of Concrete Art in 1956, along with other prominent artists such as Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica. In 1959, she co-signed the Neo-Concrete Manifesto, which advocated for a more expressive and sensorial approach to concrete art, emphasizing the role of the viewer and the context in the creation of meaning. She created a series of innovative works that explored the relationship between art and life, such as Livro da Criação (Book of Creation) (1959-1960), a set of 16 wooden panels that represented the genesis of the world through geometric forms; Livro do Tempo (Book of Time) (1961-1963), a series of 365 painted wooden reliefs that suggested the passage of time and the variation of forms; and Divisor (Divider) (1968), a large white fabric with holes for participants to insert their heads and walk together in the urban space. She also worked with film, video, performance, and installation, and collaborated with poets, musicians, and architects. She died of lung cancer in Rio de Janeiro in 2004, at the age of 77. She left behind a legacy of originality, creativity, and social engagement that influenced generations of Brazilian and international artists.